Linkages between academia, industry to herald era of prosperity: Speakers

PESHAWAR, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 1st May, 2026) Speakers here at an Industrial Open House at Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute of Engineering Sciences and Technology have said that strengthening "linkages" between the seats of higher education and industry would really herald an era of true economic prosperity in Pakistan. Still, there is a dire need for practical steps, a coordinated and collaborative strategy to achieve desired economic objectives.

The Open House was inaugurated by the renowned industrialist Salim Saifullah Khan, president of Society for the Promotion of Engineering Sciences and Technology in Pakistan (SOPREST), GIK Institute's parent body, while the Federal IT secretary, Zarrar Hasham Khan, was the chief guest in the prize distribution ceremony.

The executive director SOPREST, Shakil Durrani, Prof Dr Fazal Ahmad Khalid, Rector GIK Institute, Pro-Rectors, deans, directors, representatives of multinational and national companies and final year students also graced the event.

The final year students displayed 156 research projects and about 80 organisations from across the country participated in the Open House.

The companies conducted interviews of the students to hire them even before the convocation, which is scheduled to be held in June.

Representatives of the companies highly appreciated the research projects of race students and said that these efforts promote indigenous technology endeavors while finding solutions to the economic problems of the country.

The federal secretary lauded the students' research projects while saying that the government also always concentrates on indigenous research and provides adequate funding to universities for this purpose.

“We fully support the seats of higher education to conduct indigenous research with complete determination and concentration to achieve desired results," he said.

Prof Khalid spoke in detail about GIK Institute's collaboration with various international universities, focusing on indigenous research, curricular and co-curricular activities, GIK alumni who work in different leading multinational companies, and their contribution to their alma mater in terms of providing scholarships and provision of modern facilities to the students to acquire higher education.